When Richard Morgan saw his band Oak disbanden during the COVID lockdowns, he was left with a slew of promising ideas and demos looking for a new home. Enlisting the help of his former The Quarry bandmates Matt Foley and Scott Black (currently in Green Lung) on drums and guitar duties respectively, he decided to record these tracks under the name Warpstormer and the result is Here Comes Hell, a blisteringly confident and assured debut EP full of crunchy riffs, hooks and exceptional playing.
With guitar tones reminiscent of Mastodon’s Remission, the title track opener kicks off the EP with ruthless intent. The riffs are razor sharp, the solos bluesy and infectious, bolstered wonderfully by deep rattling bass lines and pummelling drum work; if your body doesn’t move to this, you’re simply not human. ‘Storm-caller’ is equally as thunderous, with too many gnarly riffs to count and a rip snorter of a solo. The punkier ’Ride The Bomb’ is tremendous, with powerful overlapping vocal work by Morgan, and an emotive breakdown toward the song’s end. The band throw a superb curveball with final track ‘Reap What You’ve Sown (Devour)’, a moving track that finds the band at a slower, reflective pace as Morgan’s tender vocals croon “We sought to build heaven, but only found hell”. An incredibly emotive track with a lingering melody, it also features a gorgeous, soaring guitar solo that really tugs at the heartstrings.
Warpstomer have managed to pack a hell of a punch in these four tracks, and Here Comes Hell does what all EPs should: makes you want more. On the strength of this, there is more than a fair indication that they may have more up their sleeve yet.
Here Comes Hell is out now and can be purchased here.
Words: Adam Pegg
